Valentines 2009 was a great day to take your lover to the theatre in the Presbytery of the Pines. At the quadrennial meeting, the traveling company of Should Gays and Lesbians Be Ordained?, the Presbyterian Church (USA)'s longest running on- and off-GA spectacular, was in town for a quick twelve minute matinee followed by a show of hands vote. This incarnation--a revival that, as always, had the cast squaring off similar to a production of West Side Story--proposed to amend the infamous Amendment B, "Fidelity and Chastity," to a softer "those who are called to ordained service... pledge themselves to live lives obedient to Jesus Christ."
Over the years, the production has lost most of its charm. Like Cats and A Chorus Line (Broadway hits with similar tenures) it has its devotees, but the debate's persistence, its rotating cast and its tendency to evoke only archetypal characters who eschew nuance has led to performances packed only with weary audiences. And yet, the underlying genius of the text, its almost self-aware adaptation and malleability, continues to fill the seats. This year, two relatively new numbers were the highlight of the show. The strong, sombre tone of "Didn't We Settle This Thirty Years Ago? Speaking Against the Motion" sung to follow the brash, young and new Large Steeple Pastor with his "We've Been Fighting About This as Long as I've Been Alive--and Presbyterian. Speaking For the Motion". Pastors both, the vocalists let their baritone timbre deepen the mood of the room, and yet, one could feel the pair chafing under the limits of their roles, the simple duality of a generational conflict.
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